Phil's watching Doctor Who from the start to the finish at one episode a day starting with An Unearthly Child on 23/11/2010

Tuesday, 21 December 2010

029 The Aztecs Part 3: The Bride of Sacrifice

EPISODE: The Aztecs Part 3: The Bride of SacrificeOVERALL EPISODE NUMBER: 029STORY NUMBER: 006TRANSMITTED: 06 June 1964WRITER: John LucarottiDIRECTOR: John CrockettSCRIPT EDITOR: David WhitakerPRODUCER: Verity LambertFORMAT:DVD
: Doctor Who - The Aztecs

Barbara holds Tlotoxl at knife point till Ixta releases Ian. Tlotoxl question Ixta and finds out the Doctor wants details of the tomb. Barbara and Autloc discuss a sacrifice due to occur when there is an eclipse in three days time. The Aztecs believe that the sacrifices are necessary for the sun to return. The Doctor and Tlotoxl talk, Tlotoxl wants proof that Yetaxa/Barbara is a false god. Ixta & Ian reach an understanding. When asked for the drawing by Tlotoxl,Ixta reveals they do not exist. Tlotoxl proposes killing Barbara to test if she is immortal. The Doctor and Cameca take cocoa together, without the Doctor realising that this will mean they are engaged. Tlotoxl brings the poison to Barbara: Ian realises it's poison, Barbara tries to get Tlotoxl to drink it first and he refuses. She admits she is not Yetaxa and could be killed by the poison but argues with Tlotoxl. The Doctor discovers his error while the priests argue over what to do with Barbara: They decide to find a husband for Susan as a way of getting at Barbara. Susan refuses to go through with the wedding. Cameca brings The Doctor a gift, something from the Tomb that Ixta's father gave her. The Doctor suspects there is a tunnel into the tomb and confides this to Ian who teases the Doctor about his engagement. The Doctor & Ian look for the tunnel at night but struggle to gain access. Ian removes the stone and climbs into the tunnel, but the Doctor is caught by Ixta who replaces the stone trapping Ian. The tunnel is a watercourse and starts to fill with Ian unable to escape....

Now this episode worked better for me than the previous two, there's a sense of the situations the characters are in coming together and giving them an urgency to find a way into the tomb to leave.

Carol Anne Ford's appearances in these middle two episodes are on film and are pre-recorded as she was on holiday these weeks.